Demographic characteristics of an avian predator, Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), in response to its aquatic prey in a Central Appalachian USA watershed impacted by shale gas development
Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, George T. Merovich Jr.
David A. Lightfoot, editor(s)
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-19
We related Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) demographic response and nest survival to benthic macroinvertebrate aquatic prey and to shale gas development parameters using models that accounted for both spatial and non-spatial sources of variability in a Central Appalachian USA watershed. In 2013, aquatic prey density and pollution intolerant genera (i.e.,...
Influence of river discharge on grass carp occupancy dynamics in south-eastern Iowa rivers
Christopher J. Sullivan, Michael J. Weber, Clay Pierce, Carlos A. Camacho
Michael J. Weber, editor(s)
2018, River Research and Applications (35) 60-67
Despite the longstanding presence of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) watershed, information regarding their populations remains largely unknown, in part because capture is difficult. Occupancy models are a popular wildlife assessment tool to account for imperfect detections but have been slow to be adopted in fisheries. Herein,...
Preparations for water sampling
U.S. Geological Survey
2018, Techniques and Methods 9-A1
The “National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (NFM) provides guidelines and procedures for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel who collect data used to assess the quality of the Nation’s surface-water and groundwater resources. This chapter, NFM A1, provides an overview of preparations for water sampling, which includes...
Baseline water quality of an area undergoing shale-gas development in the Muskingum River watershed, Ohio, 2015–16
S. Alex Covert, Martha L. Jagucki, Carrie A. Huitger
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5113
In 2015–16, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, led a study to assess baseline (2015–16) surface-water quality in six lake drainage basins within the Muskingum River watershed that are in the early years of shale-gas development. In 2015, 9 of the 10 most active...
Modeling hydrodynamics, water temperature, and water quality in Klamath Straits Drain, Oregon and California, 2012–15
Annett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5134
Executive SummaryLocated southwest of Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klamath Straits Drain is a 10.1-mile-long canal that conveys water uphill and northward through the use of pumps before discharging to the Klamath River. Klamath Straits Drain traverses an area that historically encompassed Lower Klamath Lake. Currently, the Drain receives water from farmland...
Flood-inundation maps for the North Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, Kentucky
Justin A. Boldt, Jeremiah G. Lant, Nicholas E. Kolarik
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5122
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 7.1-mile reach of the North Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, Kentucky (Ky.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Kentucky Silver Jackets and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
Groundwater quality in the Mississippi embayment–Texas coastal uplands aquifer system, south-central United States
James A. Kingsbury
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3067
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Mississippi embayment–Texas coastal uplands aquifer system constitutes...
Groundwater quality in the Floridan aquifer system, Southeastern United States
James A. Kingsbury
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3066
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Floridan aquifer system constitutes one of the...
Modeling water quality in the Anthropocene: Directions for the next-generation aquatic ecosystem models
Wolf M. Mooij, Dianneke van Wijk, Arthur H.W. Beusen, Robert J. Brederveld, Manqi Chang, Marleen Cobben, Donald L. DeAngelis, Andrea S. Downing, Pamela Green, Alena S. Gsell, Inese Huttunen, Jan H. Janse, Annette B. G. Janssen, Geerten M. Hengeveld, Xiangzhen Kong, Lilith Kramer, Jan J. Kuiper, Simon J. Langan, Bart A. Nolet, Rascha J. M. Nuijten, Maryna Strokal, Tineke A. Troost, Anne A. van Dam, Sven Teurlincx
2018, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (36) 85-95
“Everything changes and nothing stands still” (Heraclitus). Here we review three major improvements to freshwater aquatic ecosystem models — and ecological models in general — as water quality scenario analysis tools towards a sustainable future. To tackle the rapid and deeply connected dynamics characteristic of the Anthropocene, we argue for...
Groundwater chemistry and water-level elevations in bedrock aquifers of the Piceance and Yellow Creek watersheds, Rio Blanco County, Colorado, 2013–16
Judith C. Thomas, Peter B. McMahon
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5142
The Piceance and Yellow Creek watersheds in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, are known to contain important energy resources (oil shale and natural gas) and mineral resources (nahcolite). The primary sources of fresh groundwater in the Piceance and Yellow Creek watersheds are bedrock aquifers in the Uinta and Green River Formations....
Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Paul M. Bradley, Dana W. Kolpin, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Juliane B. Brown, Mary C. Cardon, Kurt D. Carpenter, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. DeCicco, Julie E. Dietze, Nicola Evans, Edward T. Furlong, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Dale W. Griffin, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Kathryn Kuivila, Jason R. Masoner, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, James L. Orlando, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 13972-13985
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace...
Chesapeake Bay dissolved oxygen criterion attainment deficit: Three decades of temporal and spatial patterns
Qian Zhang, Peter J. Tango, Rebecca R. Murphy, Melinda K. Forsyth, Richard Tian, Jennifer L. Keisman, Emily M. Trentacoste
2018, Frontiers in Marine Science (5)
Low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions are a recurring issue in waters of Chesapeake Bay, with detrimental effects on aquatic living resources. The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership has developed criteria guidance supporting the definition of state water quality standards and associated assessment procedures for DO and other parameters, which...
A multiscale approach to balance trade-offs among dam infrastructure, river restoration, and cost
Samuel G. Roy, Emi Uchida, Simone P. de Souza, Ben Blachly, Emma Fox, Kevin Gardner, Arthur J. Gold, Jessica Jansujwicz, Sharon Klein, Bridie McGreavy, Weiwei Mo, Sean Smith, Emily Vogler, Karen Wilson, Joseph D. Zydlewski, David Hart
2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (115) 12069-12074
Aging infrastructure and growing interests in river restoration have led to a substantial rise in dam removals in the U.S. However, the decision to remove a dam involves many complex trade-offs. The benefits of dam removal for hazard reduction and ecological restoration are potentially offset by the loss of hydroelectricity...
Water temperature in tributaries, off-channel features, and main channel of the lower Willamette River, northwestern Oregon, summers 2016 and 2017
Joseph F. Mangano, David R. Piatt, Krista L. Jones, Stewart A. Rounds
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1184
The U.S. Geological Survey collected continuous water-temperature data in select tributaries of the lowermost 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, during summers 2016 and 2017. Point measurements of water temperature and water quality (dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH) also were collected at multiple...
The Pothole Hydrology-Linked Systems Simulator (PHyLiSS)—Development and application of a systems model for prairie-pothole wetlands
Owen P. McKenna, David M. Mushet, Eric J. Scherff, Kyle McLean, Christopher T. Mills
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1165
The North American Prairie Pothole Region covers about 770,000 square kilometers of the United States and Canada (including parts of 5 States and 3 provinces: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta). The Laurentide Ice Sheet shaped the landscape of the region about 12,000 to 14,000...
Revisiting earthquakes in the Los Angeles, California, basin during the early instrumental period: Evidence for an association with oil production
Susan E. Hough, Roger Bilham
2018, JGR Solid Earth (123) 10684-10705
A total of seven independent ML ≥ 4.0 earthquakes occurred in the Los Angeles, California, basin, during the early instrumental period between 1932 and 1952, the largest of which was the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Revising available macroseismic and instrumental data for a total of 6 4.0 ≤ ML ≤ 5.1 events between 1938 and 1944, we...
Landscape topoedaphic features create refugia from drought and insect disturbance in a lodgepole and whitebark pine forest
Jennifer M. Cartwright
2018, Forests (9) 1-35
Droughts and insect outbreaks are primary disturbance processes linking climate change to tree mortality in western North America. Refugia from these disturbances—locations where impacts are less severe relative to the surrounding landscape—may be priorities for conservation, restoration, and monitoring. In this study, hypotheses concerning physical and biological processes supporting refugia...
Relating cyanobacteria and physicochemical water-quality properties in Willow Creek Lake, Nebraska, 2012–14
David L. Rus, Brent M. Hall, Steven A. Thomas
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5121
Cyanobacteria (also referred to as blue-green algae) are naturally present members of phytoplankton assemblages that may detract from beneficial uses of water because some strains produce cyanotoxins that pose health hazards to people and animals. Cyanobacteria populations observed in Willow Creek Lake during 2012 through 2014 were compared to external...
Landscape drivers and social dynamics shaping microbial contamination risk in three Maya communities in southern Belize, Central America
Peter C. Esselman, Shiguo Jiang, Henry A Peller, David N. Bucklin, Joel D Wainwright
2018, Water (10)
Land transformation can have cascading effects on hydrology, water quality, and human users of water resources, with serious implications for human health. An interdisciplinary analysis is presented, whereby remote-sensing data of changing land use and cover are related to surface hydrology and microbial contamination in domestic use...
Currents, waves and sediment transport around the headland of Pt. Dume, California
Douglas A. George, John L. Largier, Curt D. Storlazzi, Matthew J. Robart, Brian Gaylord
2018, Continental Shelf Research (171) 63-76
Sediment transport past rocky headlands has received less attention compared to transport along beaches. Here we explore, in a field-based study, possible pathways for sediment movement adjacent to Point Dume, a headland in Santa Monica Bay, California. This prominent shoreline feature is a nearly symmetrical, triangular-shaped promontory interior to the Santa Monica Littoral Cell. We collected...
Chemical and isotopic characteristics of methane in groundwater of Ohio, 2016
Mary Ann Thomas
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5097
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority, investigated the hydrogeologic setting, chemical and isotopic characteristics, and origin of methane in groundwater of Ohio. Understanding the occurrence and distribution of methane in groundwater is important in terms of public safety because methane in water...
Identification of storm events and contiguous coastal sections for deterministic modeling of extreme coastal flood events in response to climate change
Li H. Erikson, Antonio Espejo, Patrick L. Barnard, Katherine A. Serafin, Christie Hegermiller, Andrea C. O'Neill, Peter Ruggerio, Patrick W. Limber, Fernando J. Mendez
2018, Coastal Engineering (140) 316-330
Deterministic dynamical modeling of future climate conditions and associated hazards, such as flooding, can be computationally-expensive if century-long time-series of waves, sea level variations, and overland flow patterns are simulated. To alleviate some of the computational costs, local impacts of individual coastal storms can be explored by first identifying particular...
Calibration of regional hydraulic and transport properties of an arid-region aquifer under modern and paleorecharge conditions using water levels and environmental tracers
Thomas Muller, Ward E. Sanford
2018, Hydrogeology Journal (27) 685-701
A two-dimensional numerical groundwater flow model was established and calibrated for the hyperarid Najd region in southern Oman. The results indicate that recent recharge rates are required to sustain the observed groundwater heads in the Najd. The model was also used to estimate possible ranges of...
Flood frequency of rural streams in Mississippi, 2013
Brandon T. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5148
To improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in Mississippi, annual exceedance probability flows at gaged streams and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows for ungaged streams were developed by using current geospatial data, new analytical methods, and annual peak-flow data through the 2013 water year. The...
Filtering of periodic infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 2. Applications and a freeware screening tool
Jesse E. Dickinson, T. P. A Ferre
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-12
We have developed a screening tool to visualize and conceptualize the filtering properties of a layered vadose zone. Climate projections indicate that rainfall timing and magnitude may change and impact groundwater resources. This increases the importance of understanding how the vadose zone filters infiltration variability and ultimately affects recharge and...
